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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A few weeks ago, I pulled out my dehydrator to dry some of my tomatoes. Dried tomatoes are very useful and delicous..You can add them to pizza, soups, salads, snack on them, etc.. It is also easier to dry fruits and vegetables than it is to can them. I like to do both. It is nice to have some variety during the winter months. With the tomatoes, I took off ends and gave it and x cut on the bottom to help peel. I peeled skins by putting tomatoes in hot water bath for 2 minutes, then cold water. Then I sliced them and placed them on dehydrator. Took many hours..

During this pregnancy I have also had a huge craving for nectarines, so I thought I'd try my first fruit leather and was astounded by how easy it was. Nectarine Leather: Peel, core, slice, and stick them in a blender with some lemon, honey and spices. I added nutmeg and yogurt as well. Pour onto the dehydrator sheets (or cookie sheet if you are using and oven). And be prepared for it to take many hours. You remove it when it is dry and tough, but a little bit tacky. Stick in a jar, or line with saran wrap. Keeps for 1 month outside of refrigerator. Longer if refrigerated.

Delcious!!!

I also decided to try it with apples. Apple Leather: I peeled, sliced, cored, added a little water, and cooked it until it was soft, added honey(or sugar), cinnamon, lemon, put in blender then poured into the dehydrator. My kids expecially liked the apple leather. I have read that adding yogurt to the recipe makes it extra delcious and healthy!

And it is beautiful!

For my dehydrator, I'm not sure if I recommend it yet or not, but so far it works really well. (It is a "cheaper one" that I got off of Amazon a couple of years ago)..so I'm sure there are ones that are much better. But, so far it has performed quite well. I'm not sure about the plastic, though?? I have heard that Excalibers are really good.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

I think it was about last week my son started really talking about Silly Bandz. "Mom, I feel left out. Everyone has silly bandz at school. I really want some; can we go buy some." It was then that I had a little conversation with him about fads--how they come and go, and everyone goes crazy about one thing and then it passes when the next fad comes along. I think for me, it was Garfield, then Michael Jackson, then Cabbage Patch Kids.

This past Sunday, he decided to use his allowance money to buy himself his first Silly Bandz. He was ecstatic about them and wore so many on his wrist, I was afraid his blood circulation would stop. He gave some to his sister and even a heart one for me, and I think a Dino for Mike. He played with them, he admired them, he organized them. He was on cloud nine.

Yesterday, he brought them to school, following the rules and only bringing them out for recess and snack time. I was there at the beginning part of that, helping out in his classroom and saw the first signs of it.. The first couple of them, he received trades for, but then some of them he simply gave away with promises from a couple of kids that they would bring in a trade the next day.

The hard part came when I picked him up from school and he took inventory of how many he had left. He realized that he probably wouldn't get "trades" for most of the ones he gave away..and suddenly he realized that his prized collection was mostly depleted..He started talking about how some kids promised to be his friend, how others promised trades, how some kids broke the first one he gave them, and asked for a second one. Then came the tears, the loss, and the anger. For about the first hour, I tried to console him, and talk about what he learned from it..Told him I was proud of his generosity and that he made some kids pretty happy, I bet, but also to pay attention to how many he had meant to give away--and to not fall for the "I'll be your friend" line. This conversation would have been fine, but my son has a way of not being consoled until he has cycled through the trauma, I guess.. He tends to continue to escalate with his feelings and this time he completely melted down-screaming, throwing things, the whole gamut. Then I find myself, not able to be the compassionate listener anymore and getting harder on him.."It is time to move on..and not wallow in it--because with him, it tends to escalate".. The episode lasted at least 3 hours, and I finally had to have him sit in a "calm down chair"--to keep him "safe". His sister tried to help. she gave him a hug, and also gave him back the silly bandz he had given her..The gesture helped. She did it at the right moment as he was becoming ready to move out of it. Phew..

Since then, I have been thinking about the learning opportunity here. Through this, we now have a reference point of how it feels to be taken advantage of--when it might be time to set a limit with other people and be able to say "NO"-- He experienced peer pressure... On the flip side, he also experienced being generous, and I'm sure felt good at times at the joy it gave to his classmates. He experienced the "emptying" out--and truly giving at a very generous level--without the holding back--most of us might have..

There is this book called the Rainbow Fish-A fish, who basked in his beautiful fins and kept them all to himself..but he was lonely and isolated. Later, he decided to give away just one fin--but then was able to give away more and more until he only had one left. It was only then, that he experienced joy and friendship. There is another children's story, The Quiltmakers Gift, about a king who collected gifts, but was always searching for the one gift that would make him happy(because he was very unhappy despite all that he owned)--It wasn't until he wanted a quilt from the quiltmaker, and she told him to give away the rest of his gifts so he could have a quilt, that he found happiness..such joy in the giving away..not just a few things, but everything.

In the Baha'i Faith, we often look to the son of the Founder of our Faith for examples of how to live as a Baha'i.. Abdu'l-Baha' was known as "a candle who would weep his life away drop by drop to give his flame"--He was not generous as a token, he was generous to his core--to the point that he would not even have a bed to sleep in because he gave it away.

Tristan was generous to the extent of emptying himself of what he treasured..but he also experienced the "fire" of agony at the loss of it--the consequence of what he did.. Perhaps a purifying fire (from this perspective)..

So, there are many ways of looking at this---The importance of being assertive and not being taken advantage of or giving into peer pressure. And, the true spirit of generosity without self-preservation. What is the balance?? I don't have that answer. I'm trying to figure it out for myself.. I can't give that answer to Tristan..but I think it is a good thing to think about.. On the one hand, I don't want him to be easily manipulated--and if the giving was because he was manipulated into it--than that is not good.. But if the giving was because he wanted to bring others joy--that is good, I think.. Also, like the rainbow fish, I think he liked his silly bandz because it gave him status--made him feel important, and when he gave them away, he also gave away the "status" that those bandz had given him. The status evaporated--and I think he may have been crying about that too--

So, many aspects to this to process for him (and for us as a family!!)

Another book that is relevant to this is

You are Mine: About puppets who think that their value comes from the toys they own: boxes and balls--and one puppet sells his home so he can try to have more boxes and balls than anyone(but still there are others who always have more-who are better Wemmicks)..until he finds the puppet maker who lets him know that what makes him special is not his toys... (The Baha'i perspective is that what makes us special is our spiritual reality--and our ability to rise above these material things, this material world-transcend and develop spiritual qualities-virtues) such as generosity

A friend from the east coast facebooked me, telling me that she had just bought some silly bandz and wanted to mail them to my son to let him know that generosity can be returned..that it often is.. Really touched by this gesture.. So much better coming from someone from afar who cares--better than it would be coming from us. There is something mystical sometimes about the "emptying out" --and what can end up filling that space can often be something so much more precious..such as the kind gesture of someone who has never even met him. The bandz are not important, but that gesture is--and the feeling I think it gave to him when I told him this morning that someone he didn't even know cares about him..

Monday, October 11, 2010

Our DVD recorder no longer records. It cost us $200 about 4 years ago. It has NOT been used heavily. It was supposed to be a good brand. Panasonic. Frustrated. (this is a panasonic player-but not the one we have--still we may never buy Panasonic again..Our Panasonic phones have had very poor quality/performance as well.)

Because I am often frustrated with buying things that break, or finding out they are toxic, or there is a recall, etc, I thought I'd make a list of questions to ask myself before making a purchase. (keeping in mind sustainability as well)

Here is my preliminary list.

Materials: toxic? will the toxicity impact our bodies, or a landfill? If this item is for making food-what is it made of?? will it leach toxins into the food you eat/drink? Toys--lead, phalates, BPA? Was it made from recycled or raw materials? How are those materials extracted?

How are the people treated who extract and manufacture your product? How is the land treated in the process? pesticides? toxins disposed of? trees cut down/replanted?

Place of manufacture and extraction of materials--what toxins were released in its creation? was it made locally or from many places? Was rainforest destroyed making this product?

How will it be disposed of? --recycled? will it cause more toxins in its disposal?

Quality Expectations and Price balance-How long will it last? And is this item something I can afford? Will the cheaper one ultimately save money? what is the (true cost) of the cheaper one--did someone else pay the price (cheap labor, someone else's backyard destroyed?) Would delaying gratification--(saving and waiting for the better one) ultimately enable me to have one that will last much longer? Can I really afford the true cost of the item? Am I buying the cheaper one just because I can't wait to save up? (if I absolutely can't ever afford it, can I get it used?)

Can I make this item?

Can I use something else to substitute for this item instead of "buying" something new?

Can I buy it used?

Can I borrow it? How often will I use it? (do I REALLY need it?)

Can I live without it? (Do I REALLY need to replace my dishwasher?) Does handwashing really take more time?

What do I need this item for? Will I need it NOW or can it put it off for when I will really need it?

Am I responding to external pressure to buy it? --a sale/bargain..it is popular to have this item. an impulse. they might run out of them.

If I am buying it new, have I read the reviews on it? Are the reviews from people who have used it 1-5x, or someone who has owned it for years?

Instant Gratification--What is my mindset? Am I being impulsive or am I able to walk away and resist it? Am I in charge or is the "impulse" in charge of me?

Do I need to be dependent on this product? Is there a way to live without it? what creative way could I go without it?

Is it replacing a broken item that could be fixed? (it may be cheaper to buy a new one instead of fixing it, but remember that a new one requires the manufacturing of new raw materials too) Can you support a local artisan/mechanic by having it fixed instead? Can you fix it yourself?

Does this item have the ability to fix/replace parts? Does it have metal or plastic internal parts? Is it all integrated-so if one part fails, you are forced to replace the whole thing?

Your own criteria? Is buying this item congruent with your values? --what you value in life?

Each time you buy something you are taking a VOTE--what and who are you supporting by this purchase? small farm vs. big agribusiness? organic or GMO? local, sustainable business?? or large corporation that might be exploiting people, earth, natural resources? cheaply made or artfully constructed?

Sometimes the less toxic, sustainable purchase may not work as well as the toxic, cheaper product. What to do then? (sometimes dishwashing soap may not perform as well)--but it is gentler on the environment, and much less toxic to you. Which do you choose? Performance vs. its environmental impact? Is a little bit of sacrifice on performance worth the advantage to the environment??

Rember everything you own, is ultimately something more you have to "take care of"--take a look at what you have and how much time you spend "taking care of your stuff"--can you afford to have one more thing to "take care of"? Remember our stuff can be just as much of a burden as they can be time savers.. Does this item truly save time? or cost you Life Energy? what is its true cost? in hours worked to buy it? and time spent taking care of it? is this item truly worth it? Will this item take you away from the things that really matter? (for example computer games, movies, --time spent in front of a screen rather than time spent in recreation with your family--directly interating with them)

I recommend reading The Story of Stuff and Your Money or Your Life--for more thoughts on this whole process of consuming. (should you buy the books or check them out from the library-or find them used, or borrow them??) (-;

Saturday, October 9, 2010

this picture is a couple of years old representing some our our children and parents who attended then

Last weekend, we began our year's monthly children class. We've been doing this at our home for 3 years now, and before that we taught a toddler children's class at the Portland Baha'i Center. This year, we are taking a different approach. After attending Badasht Baha'i School this summer, (our first Baha'i summer school together as a family) we felt inspired to set in motion the possibility of opening up our class to our neighborhood children. I contacted the ATC (Area Teaching Committee) and they were on board right away. A weekend before the class began, the ATC came to our home to eat, pray, and go out to meet some of our neighbors.

Mike and I were very tentative about imposing upon our neighbors, so we simply went to people's homes we already knew and invited their children to attend the class, while giving them a flier I had created a few days beforehand. (It was the first time I've done something like that since college when I posted fliers around college campus kiosks inviting people to come to our Baha'i Club meetings. (And before that, when I was on my year of service and we invited children to come to a children's class in a model home in Twin Lakes, Michigan.)

In any case, we have been given the advice to pay attention mostly to what we learn from the "process" of this..because we are in a stage of transforming our Baha'i community(becoming more neighborhood centered)-the way we teach and our sense of community--and blurring the lines between us and them, Baha'i and non-Baha'i.. We are all a part of a community..and it is time to build up our neighborhood communities.

I think I am an introvert. I love people and I love building friendships, but I also thrive from being able to "regroup" with my thoughts..through journaling, reflecting, etc.. It is possibly outside of my comfort zone to do this. A part of me has been afraid of going over my head..suddenly finding myself with more than I can handle..Not wanting to become overwhelmed by this. Having the support of the ATC and our local LSA (local spiritual assembly) is greatly empowering us--making it seem manageable (especially since we have a baby coming in January..and I am also sometimes very tired just being pregnant and trying to keep up with my two children and the house and getting my children to school, etc..

So, I have started a new blog on THIS learning process..It seems worthy of its own blog and attention. Since part of this process is reflection and learning from what works and what doesn't, etc..

We'll see how it goes! Our family goal is to become more social with our neighbors...and to see what happens from that. I don't want the agenda to be solely to get the kids to come to the class..I think that would be a big turnoff to them if they felt this was the case. Part of this is also to give our children opportunities to build friendships within our neighborhood..How wonderful to have friends nearby to go visit and play with! And now, we are not balancing two schools, it is easier to concentrate on the possible friendships here! Another reason I am doing this is because I think it is a good idea in general to know our neighbors and to have a sense of what we can offer each other as a community. If there is ever an earthquake (and here in Oregon, we are on a major fault line)-expected to be a 9!! We may need each other in such a crisis! It would be good to know who to check on and what skills each person has in such an event. And of course--to simply find friendships.. We plan to be in the neighborhood for a long time..Building friendships is never a waste of time.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Below is the beginning of a new blog or new chapter/tab to this blog. Been thinking of the concept of Sustainability as Therapy, and came up with the name: Homestead Healing..Here is the new blog address. Not sure how THIS will evolve yet, but want to jump on it while I'm thinking of it. Anyone want to collaborate on it?? I think if I have other people working on it with me, it could be quite remarkable!!

I've been creating an evolving blog called Time Capsule on an Urban Homestead..In the beginning it was Time Capsule Eighties and the Now; for at that time I thought it would be a refective journal on childhood--I had started journaling when I was eight years old and still have all those journals throughout my 37 years of life.. I don't want those thoughts/pages to be lost. Laura Ingalls Wilder was my inspiration at the time, and who would have thought that even now, the idea of her and her lifestyle back then is now still so much of an inspriation to me. I haven't read the books since I was a child..Hmmmm..maybe I should re-read them now that my kids might be old enough to enjoy?? (My son is 7 and my daughter is 5) and the baby in my tummy will be greeting the world in January..(can't leave her out!)

By profession, I am educated as a teacher and a counselor, but have been home with the kids since my son was one. I often wonder where and how my career will develop...especially now that I am having my third child and am not getting any younger! I don't plan to go back to work anytime soon, but I do have some hope that I can provide some service/income from home/ from within this role..I don't want my career to make me unavailable to my children..or to have to put them into a childcare situation.

Over the past 3 years, ever since we bought our house, I've been on a journey that began with starting a raised bed garden, then taking some classes from Monique Dupre's: Sustainabe Living on a Budget..From there began some lifestyle changes...Had to! (still have to)

In that process, I felt a sense of "utopia"--nourishment, healing...On bad days, I'd find, how comforting it could be to find a new recipe or skill to try out...It turned my feelings of depression into feelings of pride and elatement, joy.. I was doing something wholesome and I was learning, and serving my family, all at the same time. There has to be something to that---this purifying one's lifestyle from the materialistic pressures of our current Western culture that is making us sicker by the day (on soooo many levels!!)--I found myself freeing myself from it bit by bit.. The more I learned, the more I could become independent of it. in baby steps.. Not where I want to be yet.. (you should see how cluttered we live, still..)--my biggest challenge, yet--growing up with a packrat and teacher mindset...collecting, keeping so much, being sentimental about my things, etc..

In any case, I have been mulling the idea of Sustainability as Therapy.. I am probably not the first to think of this...how transforming this process can be--how liberating, nourishing, comforting, uplifiting.. I suppose it is similar to the idea of Recreational Therapy, only, its end result is not just the "fun"--althought it is loads of fun!! It is about transformation of lifestyle, learning new skills, becoming more independent from the consumer culture, learning to eat/prepare real, unprocessed foods, becoming more frugal, living more simply, etc.. So, this is how my blog has evolved until now, and now for this it needs its own blog--the domain name timecapsuleeighties-does not fit at all anymore for this purpose.

***I hope to focus more on the healing process now in its theme, now that I have this vision: (but check out the other categories, because I get more into details of what you can do--there are sooo many things to learn: breadmaking, yogurt making, quilting, making clothes, knitting, gardening, parenting, providing a service to your community, preserving, meditation, exercise, (slowing down and simplifying, purging, networking-creating community, DIY home repair-car repair, and on and on... all of it can be liberating! (it is its own self-medication)--coping skills, transformative, life changing..

I would not be fair to this series of local resources if I did not include Monique Dupre's contribution to my education. Three years ago, taking her first workshop was the catalyst that truly began my proactive journey towards changing our lifestyle and learning some skills...Sure, there were plenty of "seeds" for that before I met her, but her words were what I needed to hear to get started. She was the "kick in the butt" for me and full of ideas and actual skills that were a springboard for me and for many other people in this area.

Her inspiriation, I believe is Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions and Weston Price's research. But, I believe she has been on this track for many years and has a perspective on "simplicity" that is refreshing to me. I am not even close to getting to where she is in her food budget or her purity, but she continues to be an inspiration to me as I often refer back to the workshops I took with her.

She teaches about the importance of sustainability and that you truly can buy organic (how can we not when the alternatives are pretty bleak...cost of food or cost of healthcare (take your pick)--but she really has figured out how to do this on a very minimal budget.. Being a foodie does not mean you have to be rich or elite. I like that about her perspective, because I defintitely don't consider myself of the "elite"--

I've been to her house several times and she truly does live in a peaceful, simple way..taking care not to rush, and not to acquire too much to "take care of" Her daughters' playroom consists of simple toys (and not a lot of them) that are made from natural materials (nut shells, handcarved wood (possibly made by her husband), homemade waldorf dolls, etc.. There is not a TV in her home. She has chickens in her backyard and grains soaking on her countertops. She grinds her own wheat, makes her own bread..

Monique's daughter Solenne in their yard

a HUGE cabbage from Monique's garden!

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Monquie also loves to fish!!

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She gives some basic information, but then she gets nitty gritty and gives you some wonderful skills: how to make yogurt, creme fraiche, how to make bread, how to ferment foods, how to cook a wide variety of whole grains (and to make sure you soak them first!)-- I highly recommend that if you are a beginner, her classes are a great place to start if you want to learn some valuable skills.

Another positive contribution that I believe she has made is that she has also helped create a community in the area that can draw support from one another. She has a google group where members can email each other, share tips, and ask questions.

I have the goal to eliminate my dependency on the grocery store as much as possible..

A couple of months ago, a friend recommended Portland Green Parenting's Food Buying Club: Know Thy Food founded by Rebecca Andersson, a local parent who cares about sustainability and healthy real food. She worked very hard to coordinate local consumers with farmers and out of that work, a wonderful creation: a food buying club at close to wholesale prices where locals can buy fresh produce, meat, fresh fish, local tuna, eggs, milk, (and more) from mostly local farmers. She also offers some CSA's-eggs csa-meat, csa- fruit and veggies,..and an opportunity with Taylor Made Farms to buy a cow share for raw milk. You can also buy sides of beef, lamb, pork, rabbit and chickens. I LOVE it! and each time I pick up my food, I get to meet members of the community as well..people who are taking charge of their food buying power, etc.. It is like a year-round-farmers market.

I was able to buy 50# of tomatoes for canning, and 30# of nectarines for jam, 15# of green beans for canning and freezing, etc.. (I don't have enough land to grow that much food for the winter!) Of course, like being a part of a CSA, you have to be ready to be flexible for the differing food seasons when you buy this way; however, each season has its food highlights which are probably appropriate for the nutrition we need for that season. Right now, apples and tomatoes are bountiful. Treat this week: freshly pressed cider! There is also chocolate, coffee, kambucha...the list is ever growing and changing upon availability..which keeps it interesting and has made me appreciate the food more--instead of thinking I'm entitled to have ALL food varieties ALL year long. When tomaotes are in season...I LOVE to eat tomatoes, etc.. In the winter- greens such as collard and kale, and root veggies are very nourishing.. (as well as being able to pull out from my stash of home canned and frozen produce)

New to the warehouse, Rebecca has also opened up a coffee shop for morning breakfast and coffee. In the future there will also be a children's consignment shop included: Daisies and Dinos.

To become a part of this food buying club, you join, offer a yearly donation, based on what you can afford, and shop online. You pick up your food on Tuesday afternoon/eves. You also pay a co-op free which is a percentage of the food you buy..It helps them afford the 5-year lease of the warehouse, and the labor of coordinating all that food. What a wonderful service that is community based--

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

We have had a wonderful experience with our local CSA for almost 2 years now--been getting fresh fruit and veggies all year long (with extended winter share) We get a half share(since we also grow veggies in our yard) and take turns with a neighbor with the driving who also gets 1/2 share. Our once a month trip to the farm is something I really look forward to.

There are several good reasons to join a CSA (community supported agriculture)

supporting a local farm, your local economy, a small farm-sometimes a family--

Fresh local veggies

You are more in charge of your food-You can see where it comes from..see how it is grown

You get to experiment with new foods; it makes you eat more fruits and veggies.

You become more in touch with what is in season and learn to adapt to that-

Each week is a surprise--a treat to find out what you have in your box to try

It is run by John Martinson and Bev Koch. The farm is small, with only sixteen shares. They grow on a corner of Mahonia Land Trust Conservancy, 67 acres of green space, wildlife habitat, sustainable forest, and the farm. (I have excerpted some of what they had included in their email info on their farm)

"Birds & Bees Community Farm has since 1994 supplied fresh and nutritious produce to local households. As a farm participant, you get a share of whatever the farm grows, an assortment of vegetables, fruits, herbs, eggs, honey, and filberts. (each week's cost is equals out to be about $26--which includes a wonderful amount of food that feeds our family of 4 amply)--

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Disclaimer

This is my rough draft/journaling blog. It is an evolution in progress. It has already shifted quite a bit since it's beginning. I do not proof read it meticulously. Please forgive my grammar/spelling. I often have more to say than I have time to "polish" and I do not want to spend too much time away from the "doing" part of what I talk about (like spending time with my kids) (-;